After reading my overplanning post, a reader said, "Yikes. Pretty sure this article has my name on it. Your second paragraph hit the nail on the head: " …planning is not as risky as actually doing and then getting judged for what you do. I’ve begun to suspect this is a big part of my Read More

“If the grass is greener on the other side it’s probably getting better care.” – Earl Nightingale Ouch, but it’s true most of the time. We like to think some people were born lucky, and it’s not fair and everything should be easy. But, as a general rule the person you are jealous of Read More

"I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all." – Laura Ingalls Wilder We had two snow days in a row. Most work and schools were closes and that almost never happens. One friend said it reminded her of what was most important Read More

"One of the very first things I figured out about life…is that it’s better to be a hopeful person than a cynical, grumpy one, because you have to live in the same world either way, and if you’re hopeful, you have more fun." – Barbara Kingsolver, author Early Saturday morning my daughter and I went Read More

"Don’t dwell on what you lack; dwell on what you have and use it to the fullest with gratitude. Don’t dwell on your failures-learn from them and move on. Don’t dwell on your fears or sorrows-dwell on your hopes." Marian Wright Edelman, founder of Children’s Defense Fund (from Guideposts magazine) If you did this most Read More

"What makes us discontented with our condition is the absurdly exaggerated idea we have of the happiness of others." – French Proverb Sometimes we assume that because they have the wonderfully decorated house or kid’s on the honor roll or a terrific job we think we’d love that they are happy. But they are too Read More

"While our lives are full, they seem somehow less than they could be. They resemble a page crammed with too much type – and the margins get narrower all the time. " – Timothy Jones How is your life? Do you have enough margin? Or is it like a page crammed with too much type? Read More

This morning I set up a chair under a tree by my mini fountain garden where the tiger lilies spring sunshine and the clematis reaches its purple glory to the sky. I enjoyed my breakfast of yogurt with fresh strawberries and blueberries from the Farmer’s Market yesterday. I listened to the fountain and the birds Read More

Photo by GA ShutterBug "It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.” -Laura Ingalls Wilder I read the Little House books over and over as a kid. When my children were little we read the whole series. I loved how they seemed at the brink of survival so Read More